A Second Chance Again
by Goldy1
Summary: Connor is not all he seems to be. When he finds a picture and goes looking for answers he and the gang are sucked into another world and the only way out is through the one person who knows more then they ever let on. B/A
1. Memories

Part 1  
  
Memories  
  
Connor sat in their motel room looking at his father. Or one of them. Or the only, damn, he was so confused at the moment he didn't know left from right. It's not like he didn't know Holtz was manipulating him, or trying to anyway. He wasn't stupid. But he had to wonder if maybe there was some truth in Holtz's words.  
  
Angel was a vampire. Period. What he wasn't sure about was whether or not he could be trusted, and lately it had only gotten worse. He was having dreams, he was starting to remember things about when he was little. Like year old little, but it wasn't the childhood he'd had. In his dreams he wasn't in the hell dimension. He was in another place, but still not in this dimension. And there was one other thing, he had a mother.  
  
Connor turned his head so he could look out the window with a sigh. He liked the woman in his dream. She was beautiful and had a wonderful voice. If he closed his eyes he could hear her singing.  
  
// So I lay my head back down,  
  
and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours  
  
I pray to be only yours.  
  
I know now you're my only hope. //  
  
"Steven," Holtz practically yelled.  
  
"Huh, oh yea," Connor asked feeling sort of embarrassed he'd been caught daydreaming.  
  
"Steven, I know what's wrong and it's alright, son," said Holtz as he sat down across from Connor.  
  
"What's alright?"  
  
"You're confused about Angelus, but you must remember he is a demon. If you are not careful he will use that confusion as our undoing." Holtz didn't want Steven getting confused as to what they were trying to accomplish here.  
  
"I know father. It's not that."  
  
"Then what is it then?"  
  
"It's nothing really, I'm going to go. If I'm gone much longer he will come looking and we don't want that."  
  
"No, we do not. Just remember what I said and keep your guard up."  
  
"I will father." With that Connor was off. In truth he still had another hour before he had to get back to the hotel, but he didn't want Holtz asking more questions.  
  
Holtz watch Connor leave. "He is turning into a liability," thought Holtz. "I'll need to keep a close eye on him."  
  
Connor was smarter than either of them gave him credit for. Truth be told he never really trusted Holtz, he had little doubt that he was only a means to an end to his "father". The problem lied in the fact that in at least some of what Holtz said was true. Angel had been a killer. The question was now was he still a killer, and if not did he still deserve to die anyway.  
  
By this time Connor had reached the hotel. He walked in and sat down taking little notice of anyone or anything.  
  
"Hey Connor, or Steven sorry," said Angel.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Did you have a nice walk?"  
  
"Yeah, it was fine."  
  
"Well, um.we're researching bangle demons, would you like to help?"  
  
Conner looked up at his dad and almost smiled. Sometimes Angel was so broody and serious he was just plain depressing to be around. Then other times, like now, if Connor didn't know better he'd say his father wasn't much older than him by the way he acted.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Great."  
  
Connor grabbed a book off the stack on the counter before going to a secluded corner and beginning to read. Connor could tell Angel was disappointed that Connor didn't stay with the group, but Connor wasn't ready for bonding just yet. And in any case Connor had Holtz to worry about.  
  
Connor flipped through the book for about a half hour and was about to get a new one when a piece of paper fell out. He bent down to pick it up when Angel stepped in front of him.  
  
"How are you doing?"  
  
Never missing a beat Connor slipped the paper under his leg, certain Angel hadn't seen it, as he replied, "fine."  
  
"Well have you found anything?"  
  
"Nope, I was about to get another book, but actually I'm sort of tired so I'm going to head up to my room." With that Connor was up, (with the paper) taking the stairs two and three at a time.  
  
When Connor was gone Angel walked over to the counter where everyone had been watching Angel and Connor from and said with a huge smile on his face, "he said 'my room"  
  
*****  
  
When Connor got up to his room he went inside and locked the door. He sat down on his bed and pulled the piece of paper out. On the back there was the date 11-27-97. When Connor turned it over he nearly died of shock. It was a picture, a picture of the woman in his dreams. His mother.  
  
He was shocked. His mom might be alive. His thoughts where going a million miles a minute. What if she didn't want him? No, the woman loved him. Of that he was sure. The question remained where she was and how he could get to her.  
  
Connor laid back and traced the image of his mother very gently with his finger. After looking at it for a while longer he placed under his pillow and rolled over, thinking of her. As time had passed he had begun to remember things. The way she smelled. Her smile. With all these things running through his mind Connor closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
Running. They were running. He didn't know why or from what only they were running and his mom, like most times, was scared. Not for herself but for him. He was wrapped in several blankets and held tightly to his mother. He felt weird like he wasn't himself. Like his senses had all gone wild. It took him a moment to realize he was little, an infant. "Okay, this can't be right," he thought. p  
  
Suddenly he became aware that he wasn't moving, he'd been set down. He could hear what sounded like a fight going on, though he wasn't entirely sure because everything sounded wrong, like how the world sounds from under water. He had no idea how long it lasted. But he was reassured when some soft singing. p  
  
I//There's a song that's inside of my soul. p  
  
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again. p  
  
I'm awake in the infinite cold, p  
  
but you sing to me over and over and over again.// Ip  
  
He felt himself being lifted and the blankets that completely covered him removed. He should have been surprised with what he saw but he wasn't. It was her, his mom. p  
  
The scene shifted to being near water alone with her being fed. It was one of those times where she seemed peaceful inside. He couldn't feel fear or pain from her, just stillness. It was one of the times he was sure was rare with his mother. And like always her voice. Singing their song. p I// So I lay my head back down, p  
  
and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours p I pray to be only yours. p  
  
I know now you're my only hope. //Ip  
  
Again the scene shifted and they were running again. He was set down but he could still feel how upset his mother was. When they were running like this she was always upset but this was different, something else was going on. p  
  
She backed off, silent tears running down her face. She nodded to someone out of his line of vision. BANG everything was suddenly glowing and his mother, still crying faded from view. p  
  
Suddenly he wasn't the infant anymore, he was himself viewing everything in the third person. He watched as the infant form on him vanished, though he couldn't explain how but he saw his soul flying through the air. p  
  
Next he was in his dad's room. When he turned around he saw his father and a women he hadn't seen before in bed asleep together. He couldn't help but cringe as he thought, "Great, I get the one father that can't sleep with women for fear of losing his soul and I still manage to walk in on him in bed with someone." p  
  
Flying over his shoulder was the soul of the child aka him. It hovered over the bed going from over his father back to the woman back to his father and back again to the woman before it plunged into the woman's stomach. p  
  
The instant the soul hit the woman Connor sat up strait in bed covered in sweat, breathing hard. p  
  
"Holy damn." p  
  
*****p 


	2. Searching

Part 2  
  
Searching  
  
It had been a week since Connor's last dream. Afterward his other dreams started to make sense. Best he could figure out was his mother had been alone and young when he was born, someone or something that was trying to kill them both and had chased them across the world. When his mother had decided that she couldn't protect him and sent him to be reborn.  
  
Or so he thought. In truth he didn't know why his mother sent him away. To him it looked like they were doing pretty well. Okay running all over the place wasn't such a great way to live but they were always one step ahead of their pursuers. Whatever the reason, he wanted to know, so he started looking around trying to find some more info on her. However with only a picture to go on it wasn't easy.  
  
Finally he decided to get some help. Connor quickly ruled out Fred, Gunn, and Angel. Cordelia and Wesley were quick to follow. So that left Lorne.  
  
Connor was reluctant to ask the demon for help because one he was a demon and two he might read something off him and Connor didn't want his dad to know just yet. However in the end he decided that he didn't have much of a choice if he ever wanted to find his mother.  
  
When night fell and everyone left on some mission or another Connor went upstairs and knocked on Lorne's door. From inside he heard movement and waited a second before Lorne opened the door.  
  
"Well, well, well, is there something I can do for you?"  
  
Connor stood there for a minute shifting from one foot to the other before saying almost timidly, "I need your help."  
  
"The help of a demon?" Lorne asked genuinely shocked that Connor would come to him. However Connor took it to be a teasing remark.  
  
"Fine," said Connor turning to walk away.  
  
"No, no wait, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised that's all."  
  
"Can you help or not?"  
  
"I don't know, lets hear it."  
  
"I need to know about this woman," said Connor producing the picture he had found. "What's her name, is she alive, where she is, anything?"  
  
Lorne took one look at the picture and would have laughed if it weren't for the waves of anxiety coming off Connor.  
  
"Look kid I think you."  
  
"Lorne, don't, this is important. Do know who she is?"  
  
"Yeah I know her," Lorne said running his hand through his hair, "I've seen this image from your father enough. Why do you want to know?"  
  
"It's a long story and I don't have time to go into it."  
  
"Well it's like this, I'm not telling you anything until I get some kind of back story. When she and your father mix it's just asking for trouble."  
  
"Fine, but not here. Can we go inside?" Interested in this comment Connor was going to ask what that meant but decided against it. He had more important things on his mind.  
  
"Sure." Lorne moved aside and let Connor into his room, before following him and closing the door behind them. "Okay, lets hear it."  
  
"Do you agree that even the powers that be would have issues with two vampires having a child? A mostly human child."  
  
Lorne gave Connor a look, "clearly not."  
  
"Yeah but what if they did? What if this wasn't my first shot at all this?"  
  
"I'm not sure I follow."  
  
"What I mean.I don't know what I mean," said Connor as he started pacing back and fourth. "There's not a condensed way to say this," then he said as though he just thought of it, looking at Lorne almost panicked, "and my father can't find our until I can explain this, I think I was born before this."  
  
Lorne looking at the picture again, "and this has what to do with this girl and idea of yours."  
  
"I remember her," said Connor sitting down with a tired sigh.  
  
"Come again," shrieked Lorne. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He just knew this was a can of worms they were opening.  
  
"I remember her. I keep having these dreams, we, her and I, are running through a forest and up a hill, then we're by this river then in a cave where some sort of spell is being performed. She's sad and crying and then I'm not a person anymore, I'm just energy. After Angel and Darla. you know. I'm in the room and sort of jump into Darla. Then it's over and I wake up."  
  
Lorne sat down as though someone had just hit him with a tired stick, "that is some sort of story."  
  
"Trust me, I know how this sounds. I thought I was nuts, until I found this picture."  
  
"And you're sure it was this girl, not some other girl that looked like her?"  
  
"Positive, I remember things about her, her voice, the way she smelled, everything."  
  
"And Angel knows nothing of this?"  
  
"No, and I want it to stay that way."  
  
With a tired sigh Lorne considered his options. He could tell Connor what he knew or he could refuse. If Connor was right, he had a right to know; if he wasn't, well, who knew what would happen. Lorne finally decided he had no choice. "Just for the record, I'm stating this right now, I do not like this. The girl's name is Buffy. Buffy Summers, she lived in Sunnydale, CA." Lorne stopped considered what he was about to say as he looked at Connors anxious face, "and she lives there still, she's alive."  
  
*****  
  
Across town in a wooded area stood a virtual army of men. They appeared to be escaped actors from a renaissance fair. It would have been a comical sight if it weren't so terrifying. These were the Knights of Byzantium a powerful group of knights dating back hundreds of years. As the end of days approached they divided in to sects to stop it. Some chases the key, some artifacts, and some chased people. These men were here for a child, one of the first to be born to fight against or for the darkness.  
  
"Nothing sir, there is nothing that indicates Kristine was here or ever here."  
  
"Have you searched everywhere? Any place with a lot of people and where she could get assistance would be a likely hide out for her and that bastard son of hers."  
  
"We check shelters, abandoned warehouses, homes, and still nothing?"  
  
"Hmmm. If my sources are right Mac is here. If Mac is here so is the child and in the year I chased that girl she never left her son alone for even a second."  
  
"I'm sorry General Valone, but she isn't here."  
  
"Ahhh, that wench is a menace."  
  
Valone was about to order a withdrawal when a lieutenant came up to him.  
  
"Sir did you say any place where she could find assistance?"  
  
"Do you know something brother?" Valone was impatient and didn't want to deal with lieutenant looking to get himself promoted in the ranks.  
  
"In our search, the name of a vampire that is said to have a soul has come up many times. It is said he helps the helpless. He was once aligned with the slayer and as you know some believe the slayer helped Kristine escape three years ago."  
  
Valone thought on this for a moment. Maybe this lieutenant wasn't a waste of time after all. "Take a group of men. Dress as civilians and monitor this vampire if you see Kristine or anything that might suggest they know her call us immediately."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
***** 


	3. A Time to Act

Part 3 A Time to Act  
  
As Connor walked away from Lorne's apartment he kept thinking, "she's alive, she's alive." He couldn't believe it. Somewhere deep inside he hoped she was still alive but he also had never really believed it.  
  
Connor hardly noticed where he was going until he was at the top of the staircase. He was about to go down when he heard the clatter of the doors opening and then voices, "Could you believe how big that thing was?" Came Gunn's enthusiastic voice.  
  
"It was very big," came the not so enthusiastic voice of Fred.  
  
"All I know is it will take forever to get all this gunk off me."  
  
"Oh lighten up Cordelia it was fun."  
  
"If that's what you call fun Gunn then you really need a life and fast."  
  
"Oh for heavens sake please do shut up."  
  
"Sorry Wesley how's your head?"  
  
"Not bad at all Cordelia, I was only thrown threw a cement wall."  
  
"Well sorrryyy."  
  
And on and on it went. Connor didn't want to go down there. He didn't want to have anything to do with them. Lately both Angel and Holtz were stepping up the pressure. Angel wanted Connor to be, well his son, and Holtz was getting impatient. He was no closer to figuring out which one to listen to.  
  
Connor looked down at the photo in his hand and immediately decided what to do. He needed help and she was the only one he trusted without question. Quickly and quietly, Connor sprinted up to his room to start packing what little he could call his own. After he realized there were some things at the motel he needed as well.  
  
He knew he couldn't go out the front so he decided to go out the window. Putting the overnight bag on over his shoulder, Connor began to climb out onto the ledge. He was so busy concentrating on what he was doing he didn't notice he had dropped the picture. It fluttered to the floor of his room face up.  
  
Hitting the sidewalk, Connor headed straight to the motel where he was going to have to talk to Holtz. But what to say that wouldn't rouse suspicion? So he didn't notice the shadows on the corner of the opposite street in front of the hotel.  
  
"Are you sure it's him boss."  
  
"Positive."  
  
"But how can you be sure. He was a baby when he disappeared and isn't he to big to be the one."  
  
The larger man, that appeared to anyone looking, like a normal man. He grabbed his partner around the neck and slammed him against the wall. Only then, now that they had moved into the light, would anyone realize he was not what he seemed; he had a large scar starting at his hairline, running down through his eye, and down to his chin. The man was very large, larger than a normal man. He had all the same parts and looked normal except everything was about twice as big as it was supposed to be. His partner on the other hand looked hardly human. He had ugly orange skin and almost neon yellow eyes.  
  
The smaller man began to cower and whimper, "Because my friend," said the bigger man in a tone that suggested anything but friendship, "the woman was smart and cunning. I never expected to find a baby."  
  
The man gave a cruel smile as he looked down the street at Connor's retreating form. "And besides, the boy looks like his mother."  
  
*****  
  
As Connor walked up to the motel he stopped and looked up at the room he and 'his father' shared. Holtz knew most everything about Connor and he wasn't sure exactly how he was going to fool him. As of late he had been dancing around the subject, that coupled with the fact he was so distracted over his mother Holtz really didn't have a chance to question him about Angel.  
  
He didn't want his father asking questions, almost as much as he wanted him nowhere near Buffy. He feared Holtz's desire for revenge against Angel would turn into revenge against all people connected to Angel, or had been in his mother's case. There was no love lost between Angel's friends and Holtz that was for sure, and everything he could remember about his mother suggested that she had been very in love with Angel.  
  
At that thought Connor had a horrible revelation. What if Holtz had been the thing chasing his mother? Connor had to admit; there was only so much he knew about Holtz. That was it. Connor made the decision right there that he was leaving this place forever. To hell with both of them.  
  
Connor took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. The best way to do this was to play as close to the truth as he could while making sure Holtz thought Connor hated Angel.  
  
Considering all this Connor walked up the stairs, stopped at the door, took several cleansing breaths, and opened the door. Holtz sat at the table reading the paper, which he set down the moment Connor walked through the door.  
  
"Hello son how's the enemy?"  
  
Connor moved around the apartment garbing a set of his knives in a leather pouch, "He's being his normal asshole self. I hate him."  
  
Calculating, Holtz eyed his enemy's kid, wondering if he was forgetting to mention something to him. "What's wrong Steven?"  
  
"Nothing Dad just pissed at having to play the charade."  
  
"You won't for much longer," Holtz intoned softly, his voice quiet and serious, his eyes watching Steven's every move. The boy never even twitched. I taught him well...  
  
Packing up a black sapphire encrusted dagger, Connor hesitated and bent over to stick it in his sock, wrapping his denim pant leg over it. Glancing up from his foot he saw something under the rickety table, and leaned over to get it before standing and placing it in his bag.  
  
"You're packing a lot of your stuff."  
  
"He knows I have it, if I bring it to the hotel, he'll think I'm really considering living with him and his gang."  
  
"He is a fool."  
  
Looking over his shoulder Connor smiled, maliciousness creeping into his eyes as he thought back to his dreams, "That the vampire surely is."  
  
Walking around the room, Connor grew frustrated when he couldn't find his beaded necklace. To him it was special, each new link from something he had killed. He felt weird leaving it behind, but before it had felt weirder to leave it off of his neck. Not to mention dressing in this world's clothes. He liked his skins, and if he had to blend in and leave everything else behind he would take his jacket and his necklace.  
  
Now though, he still couldn't find it. Connor had looked everywhere for them, and now his frustration was clearly showing on his face. Stopping to rake hair out of his eyes, Connor kicked the box near him and grumbled under his breath.  
  
When he turned, Connor noticed Holtz there holding both of his valuable things and motioning for him to take them. Tossing the bag over his shoulder, Connor walked over to the man that had played his father for 17 years.  
  
17 years was a long time to get to know someone and to trust them. It was a shame human character could take less then 17 seconds to lose such a deep trust between them.  
  
Now Connor had to leave, leave and never come back to this wretched city. He didn't want Holtz to drag him to the end of this revenge mission and he didn't want to stay with his alleged dad. He only wanted to find Buffy... his true mother.  
  
Halfway out of the dimly light hotel room, Holtz detained Connor with a firm hand settling onto his shoulders.  
  
Stepping up behind him, Holtz spoke softly, "Where is it you are off to in such a hurry? The fires of hell are no longer chasing at your feet. We no longer have to stay in the shadows... we're ready to move into the final stage of my plan to rid the world of Angelus."  
  
Connor's head fell forward in defeat; he wasn't getting out of here without a conversation with the bastard who he believed to be the thing Buffy had been running from. Revenge never sounded so cruel and horrible to him. It did now thinking of what must have happened to her... bile lodged in his throat as Connor turned to face his closest and greatest nemesis.  
  
"I have to get back to the hotel. Angelus doesn't know I am gone, he might be suspicious and then where would we be? He needs to be ignorant until the final moment before his death and the death of his friends. Our hatred will finally come to its conclusion at the sight of his comprehending pain. Don't worry father, everything will go according to plan."  
  
Nodding once Holtz removed his hand and backed away as Connor walked out the door with all his belongings. Something was up, and Holtz was going to find out. Shrewd eyes followed every move of the figure walking out into the shadows... the curtain flapped quietly against the windowpane as Holtz returned to the rest of his work. Nothing was going to stop him, nothing. Not even his son. 


	4. Past Revisited or Through a Mother's Eye...

Part Four Past Revisited or A Mother's View  
  
She ran. She ran and ran until it felt like her legs would give out and then she ran some more. There were to many to fight and with the precious bundle in her arms she couldn't afford to take any risks that could cost them their lives. No matter where they went, the demons were always there. Not just the run of the mill demons who didn't know who she was or care for that matter, but the ones that were searching trying to kill him.  
  
Her baby boy. Buffy had a hundred names for him, her angel, her miracle, her gift, her darling, but the most significant and the one that still shocked even her was her son. He was only three weeks old and even with Buffy's advanced healing, she still wasn't up to full par.  
  
Risking a glance behind her she saw that their pursuers were gaining. Despite her willingness to run to the end of the earth to keep her baby safe she just didn't have the stamina or speed right now. She had to find a place to make a stand. Without slowing she took in her surroundings. She noticed a small opening in a hill just ahead. She'd have to put on some speed if she hoped to make in up the steep incline with her baby and still stay ahead. She as much speed as she could muster she broke out into a sprint up the hill.  
  
When she hit the base she started to climb. It was steeper than she had anticipated or maybe it was the fact she only had one arm to pull her up, it didn't matter which. With some difficulty she made it up the hill and into the cave. She quickly glanced around and located a rather large rock to hide her baby under. She quickly but carefully placed the little boy under the rock then turned to the entrance.  
  
The ensuing fight was fast and furious. As tired as she was all she had to do was think about her child and what these things would do to him and it was like a breath a fresh air. In all it took about ten minutes for her to put them down and in the end she stood over several demon bodies.  
  
She stood there for a good couple of seconds waiting for more demons to burst through the entrance and try and kill her. More importantly, kill her son. But they didn't come and her son started to coo. At that moment three weeks of stress and months of torment started to crash down on Buffy in waves. She looked around the cave a remembered when things were simple.  
  
Buffy held back her long over due tear fest and went to check on her baby. She gave him a once over when she picked him up and he seemed fine. She went to the front cave entrance and looked in the direction she came from. What she saw was not surprising to her but never the less upsetting.  
  
She defeated the troops of demons sent by Mac, but now she had to contend with the knights. At first she had tried to reason with them and explain that her baby wasn't evil but they twisted every thing she said and continued to come. She knew they didn't have a way of tracking her scent the way the demons did, but just to be safe she set her son down and looked around the cave for a boulder or something to block the cave entrance. She decided on the one she hid her son under and rolled it into place. She used a simple magic charm she taught herself sealed the entrance.  
  
That finished she decided it was time to rest. The knights would continue on and after they had passed she could heard east and avoid both armies of good and evil.  
  
Venturing back further into the cave she found an area where she could make a resting place for her baby and her. She took off the backpack and pulled out a thick blanket. She folded it and set it on the ground for the future bed of her baby. She unbuttoned her shirt then unwrapped him from his blanket and started to feed him. He latched hungrily onto her nipple as though he hadn't eaten it weeks. Buffy was thankful that wasn't the case.  
  
As her son nursed she mused about the events that had brought her here. She looked down at her baby with tears in her eyes, "I sorry I can't be a better mom little one," she whispered.  
  
Sensing her distress although not knowing the cause of it the boy began to cry. "Shhhh, little one, please don't cry." Buffy felt like a bad mom in that moment because like many other times she was at a loss as to what to do. Her boy never cried but when he did it always took Buffy a while to calm him. Maybe that was normal, maybe it wasn't, she didn't know.  
  
Searching her mind as to what to do, she remembered a song and old woman had taught her from the last town she passed through. She repositioned her boy to a more comfortable position but kept him level so he could still nurse she began to sing one of the few songs that had become known to her as their songs.  
  
//Slumber my darling, thy mother is near  
  
Guarding thy dreams from all terror and fear.  
  
Sunlight has past and the twilight has gone,  
  
Slumber my darling, the night's coming on.  
  
Sweet visions attend thy sleep  
  
Fondest, dearest to me,  
  
While others their revels keep,  
  
I will watch over thee.  
  
Slumber my darling, the birds are at rest,  
  
Wandering dews by the flowers are caressed,  
  
Slumber my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,  
  
Pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.  
  
Slumber my darling till morn's blushing ray  
  
Brings to the world the glad tidings of day.  
  
Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delight-  
  
Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonight.  
  
Thy pillow shall sacred be  
  
From all outward alarms,  
  
Thou, thou art the world to me  
  
In thine innocent charms.  
  
Slumber my darling, the birds are at rest,  
  
Wandering dews by the flowers are caressed,  
  
Slumber my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,  
  
Pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.//  
  
By the end of the song Buffy was in tears while her son was slept quietly in her arms. Buffy gently set the baby down in the make shift bed she made earlier and as quietly as she could scrambled further into the cave.  
  
She stumbled into an adjacent chamber and collapsed on the ground sobbing for the first time since her son was born. After several minutes she began to think about the events in her life that go her here. She thought of the night of her birthday with Angel.  
  
She cried harder at the unfairness of it all. It wasn't right. Angel and Buffy never knew the consequences of their actions. Any of them. She thought back to when she realized she was pregnant.  
  
Most of the symptoms were passed off as something else. She never really put all the pieces together until she got sick and ended up in the hospital. Buffy never got sick. The fact that she did should have told her something was off.  
  
The second thing was boy, Ryan. It was the weirdest thing when she met him. She wanted to pumble the demon who was trying to hurt him, at the time she past it off as just a need to protect him, a normal human thing. Now she recognized the feeling of the necessity to protect him as what she felt for her son. A maternal instinct.  
  
Her third clue was her hormones. Wow, looking back she was a nut case those last months in Sunnydale. Of course with everything going on it was dismissed as sensory overload.  
  
The forth sign was the one all girls recognize as the first sign, no period. She really hadn't thought about it because it wasn't unusual for her to go without for months at a time. She was the slayer and therefore very physically active.  
  
It was only when she started to show she started to suspect. A person could really only tell when she had her close off. She started wearing dark clothes and layering them.  
  
However, even then she told herself that she was putting on some extra pounds and didn't think about it. The night she attacked Angel was when she found out. That very night she went to a drug store and bought a home pregnancy kit.  
  
It was just after she had been kicked out and she needed to know. No, know wasn't the right word. She already knew; she had to confirm it. Nothing on the planet could push her to kill Angel. Had the test been negative the world would be in hell. But it wasn't negative, it was positive and it was the final push she needed. The only person she could put above Angel was their child. Her friends, her family, the world, and even herself where all people she knew Angel would want her to protect them all but knew he would understand why she couldn't. But if she had let Angelus kill their child when she had the power to protect it, Angel would never forgive her that.  
  
So she fought and won. Then she left. She couldn't stay for so many reasons. Too many to go through. She traveled to L.A. and wasn't there for a month when all hell broke loose.  
  
She was taken into the house of a woman she met in a store. The woman saw her pregnant, now clearly showing, and took pity and offered Buffy the attic room for her and her baby. She only got suspicious after a fight with the woman.  
  
Buffy had gone out for a walk after a particularly bad dream when some vampires had attacked her. Nothing special. However unwilling to fight in her condition she ran back towards the house. When she got back however the woman was waiting for her and looked clearly furious.  
  
The woman, Joy was her name, accused her of not taking care of herself. She ranted about all the things that could have happened. In the course of her rants she made two mistakes that tipped Buffy off.  
  
First was when she said had gotten attacked by something worse. This perked Buffy's ears because from the moment she returned she hadn't had a chance to say anything, much less that she was attacked.  
  
She was about to say something when Joy said something that chilled her to the center of her bones.  
  
"And what if something had happened to your baby, we can't let something happen to such a special child."  
  
I wasn't any one thing that scared her it was the collection of all these things that made Buffy worry.  
  
Joy was always going on about what a special child Buffy was carrying. Buffy thought it was sweet but never really pondered it. But her former statement added to all the other things made everything fall into place.  
  
Buffy's maternal instincts kicked in as Joy turned to walk out of the room. Buffy grabbed a vase and smashed it over Joy's head. She hit the ground unconscious. Just as Buffy went to make for the door Joy grabbed her leg. When Buffy turned and looked down Joy's face was hanging off her skin and beneath was a demon.  
  
Buffy kicked Joy and ran to the kitchen for a knife. As Joy ran after her she ran smack into the knife. Buffy then beheaded her just to be safe. She was never more chilled; she'd lived in this house for a month and all this time Joy was looking to take her baby.  
  
Buffy started looking around for information about whom and/or what Joy really was. Buffy started to realize at that moment that she was acting differently. It was like slayer instincts and mommy instincts were mixing together and taking over. Under normal circumstances she would have grabbed her stuff and left. This was making her more. more.level headed if you will.  
  
This of course was in sharp contrast to what her hormones were doing to her but that is another story. It took her nearly four hours but she found a box with ancient scrolls and bits of paper written in about a dozen different languages.  
  
Buffy gathered together all this stuff. Packed a bag with diapers, clothes, and blankets and left. For a week she wondered. She still didn't know who was after her but her gut was telling her that Joy wasn't alone.  
  
At the end of the week she was attacked by, of all things, a group of medieval knights. Weirder still is she was then saved by another group of medieval knights. They, unlike her, knew all of the languages the various scrolls were written in. The translated them and gave her the first insight into what was inside her.  
  
It was called the destroyer, a child that would either unite the forces of good against the evil or unite the forces of evil against the good. The side he was on would be the victor. He was the first of several children to be born with amazing power and unusual, and some times down right impossible like Buffy's case, parentage.  
  
The knights that attacked her were called the Knights of Puzantian, devoted to the protection of the earth. They explained that her child was a risk both sides were either unwilling to risk or not risk. In essence, due to the birth of her baby, there were now four sides instead of two.  
  
Like every force of good or evil in the world the Puzantian Knights were divided down the middle as to the course of action to take. They told her that they could no longer stay in L.A. and were going to take her to a different dimension for her own safety.  
  
Reason being that in a different dimension no one would recognize her and therefore after they lost their trailers they could send Buffy back to Sunnydale and no one would know that the slayer's baby was the destroyer everyone was looking for.  
  
It was a great plan.  
  
Right up until they were attacked mid way through the spell and Buffy got hurtled into a split dimension; split dimension, meaning that it was really two dimensions with millions of 'doors' into each other. This would have been fine. The first, nicer dimension was known as Krim. The second was the worse dimension known to man. It was called Quortoth. 


	5. Return to Sunnydale

Part Five Return to Sunnydale  
  
Connor sat on the bus as it pulled out of L.A. towards Sunnydale. It had taken him a while to figure out how to get there but finally he had met a nice woman that had pointed him in the right direction.  
  
He was going to see her. After years of wondering and dreaming he was going to see her again. Part of him was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing her again, while the other half was scared to death. Having him had been hard on her. If nothing else the dreams had shown him that. While he was certain his mother had loved him he was unsure if she would be happy to see him.  
  
He looked out he window and watched the passing city. Even if she was glad to see him Connor wasn't sure what good it would do. Then of course there were the minor matters of him only knowing what city she was in and not having the foggiest idea of what he was going to say.  
  
Some how he didn't think, "hey, I'm your son, nice to see again," was going to cut it. Connor let out as sigh of wariness, so many questions and so few answers. It was all stacking up, Holtz, Angel, his mother, all of it. Plus he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there were pieces to all this he just didn't have.  
  
Why had so many demons wanted him dead as a child? Why had his mother chosen that solution? Surely there had to have been some place for her to go, some person to turn to? Further more, in all of the memories he was getting from his dreams he didn't once see Angel. Where had he been through all that? Had he abandoned her or was there some other reason? Angel seemed determined to keep Connor as his son. He just couldn't see Angel walking away from his mother if he had known about him. Which led to the question, had Angel ever known he had a son prior to Darla? If he didn't why had his mother kept it from him?  
  
Connor took a deep breath. The only way he was ever going to find out who or what he was, was to ask his mother, Buffy. He sat back and fingered the silver object he kept on his necklace; it was a ring of some sort. Connor was sure it once had had a design on it, but all that was left now was the basic shape of what it had once been. A shape Connor was never able to completely figure out. It had a familiar feeling to it, like it had always been meant for him.  
  
He shook his head. He was being silly, it was just some random thing he found. Connor laid his head down to nap until he reached Sunnydale while he continued to play with the object absentmindedly until slowly he drifted off.  
  
*****  
  
It was like some vision out of hell. Connor screamed because as an infant that was all he could do as he watch a man twice the size he should have been pick up his mother and through her into a tree with such force that the trunk of the tree cracked.  
  
She immediately got back up and ran at the demon. Connor could tell there was something wrong with her. She was moving slow and seemed to be in pain, more pain then she should have been in. It dawned on him that he was seeing further back than he had ever seen before. His mother must have just given birth. No more than a couple of hours ago.  
  
"Why do you fight this, you think what the child is will change because you have him?" said the demon with a laugh. "He is ours, stop fighting us."  
  
"Never. As long as I'm still standing you will not touch him."  
  
At that point what looked to be like Indian warriors came into the wooded area they were in and started attacking the demon. They were clearly fighting a losing battle but still they fought. The leader yelled something that made no sense to Connor but seemed to make sense to his mother because she ran over picked him up and fled.  
  
Connor let out more cries when he felt something powerful coming at them. He could tell what they were but they appeared to be women demons of some sort. One of them came flying at Buffy. He was certain it was going to attack her when it landed a few feet away and led Buffy into a clearing.  
  
Tied to a tree was a large black horse. The demon woman helped Buffy onto in and they were off. They rode for hours literally until the horse would run no more. After Buffy jumped off the horse, she grabbed it by the rains and started leading it in to a wooded area.  
  
Connor was cold, tired, and hungry. As they walked they came upon a watering hole. His mother tied the horse near a tree and allowed it to get some water. His mother set him down and went about gathering things. Soon a fire was going and him mom picked him back up.  
  
"Okay little guy, I've only done this once so forgive if I'm not certain what to do."  
  
But it didn't matter because as soon as he was close enough he latched on to her nipple and started to suckle for all he was worth. After a bit, when he had had his fill he started to drift off and it was then that his mother would do the one thing that would stay with him for years. She started to sing to him.  
  
*****  
  
"Connor, you up here?" called Angel. He'd been home for a good hour and he had yet to see Connor at all.  
  
The first thing Angel noticed when he walked into Connor's room was Connor's absence. The next and far more disturbing thing was the absence of Connor's things.  
  
"Connor," yelled Angel in a panic! "Connor, Connor!"  
  
"What's with the scream fest Angel cakes," said Lorne.  
  
"Connor's gone."  
  
"Gone. What do you mean gone?"  
  
"Gone as in no longer in the building," shouted a very aggravated Angel. He had just gotten him back he couldn't lose him now. He could tell that there was still some distance between them but they were working on it. Angel wasn't certain he could lose his son again.  
  
"What's going on up here," said Gunn as he and Fred walked down the hall towards were Angel and Lorne were standing.  
  
"Connor's missing."  
  
"Missing as in stepped out for some fresh air or missing as in Elvis has left the building."  
  
"Missing as in all his stuff is gone," growled Angel.  
  
While Gunn and Angel were talking Fred slipped into Connor's room to look around. She noticed something on the ground by the window. It was a photograph of a pretty girl Fred had never seen before.  
  
"Maybe he has a girlfriend," said Fred assuming that was whom the picture was of. The girl looked about his age.  
  
"A what," said Angel?  
  
"Now Angel Connor is 18 and is more."  
  
"I know what you're saying Fred, I'm just not sure why you are saying it."  
  
"I found a picture of her," said Fred looking at the image, "she's pretty too. Take a look." Fred handed the image to Angel. He looked at it in bewilderment, not quite grasping what he was seeing. Gunn and Lorne both looked over his shoulder to see whom the mysterious girl was.  
  
Angel was more confused than he was before so he didn't notice Lorne turn another shade of green. Why on earth would Connor have a picture of Buffy? It just didn't make sense.  
  
"Damn, boy has taste."  
  
"She's not his girlfriend. This is an old picture of Buffy."  
  
Gunn snatched the picture from Angel's hand oblivious to the annoyed look Angel shot his way. "This is Buffy," said Gunn after closer inspection.  
  
"Yes," said Angel snatching the photo back.  
  
"Okay then you have taste," said Gunn with a shrug walking over and wrapping his arms around Fred. "Not as good as mine though," he quickly added when he saw the look on her face.  
  
However Angel was no longer listening, "Why in heavens name would Connor have a photo of Buffy in his room?" It was something he never would have guessed.  
  
"Um, I hate to say this, but I can answer that," said Lorne nervously. "And I probably know where he's gone to as well."  
  
"What," said Angel, spinning around to see him, "Lorne what the hell is going on?" Angel was agitated and he wanted answers now.  
  
"Cream Puff came to me earlier tonight with a wild story that included your girl there, funniest thing really," said Lorne with a nervous laugh.  
  
"Lorne?"  
  
"Alright," Lorne nervously cleared his throat, "he said he knew Buffy, had some privileged info about her to. I swear he never said anything about going to find her, he just wanted to know her name."  
  
"Connor couldn't possibly know Buffy, she doesn't even know he exists. And trust me if she did, she would be down here dancing on my ashes for not telling her myself. Did he say how he knew her?"  
  
"Um, well."  
  
"Lorne so help me," growled Angel.  
  
"If he has gone to the hell mouth then for everyone's sake, I think he should be the one to tell you. After all he knows more than I do about all this."  
  
"If you know I want you to tell me."  
  
"I would if I could Angel Cakes but this is between you, Cream Puff, and the girl."  
  
"Buffy has nothing to do with this," yelled Angel as he stalked down the hall towards the lobby followed by Fred, Gunn, and Lorne.  
  
"The boy thinks otherwise."  
  
"Oh this is nuts," said Angel with a defeated sigh. Angel went down the stairs, "Wesley, Cordy."  
  
"What's going on," said Wesley.  
  
"Connor's missing and we think he's headed to Sunnydale to see Buffy of all people."  
  
"What? What on earth gives you that idea?"  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine Cordy, ask Lorne."  
  
"Hey don't shoot the messenger."  
  
Angel grabbed his coat. "I'm going to Sunnydale to get him and do as much damage control as I can, god Buffy's going to kill me. You guys stay here and hold down the fort I should be back in a day or so."  
  
"Um, Angel Cakes, I really think Wesley and Fred should go with you."  
  
"Is that your professional opinion," asked Angel as he stopped at the door, still trying to get Lorne to spill the beans.  
  
"No, my professional opinion is that you take them and Gunn."  
  
"Sweet, fieldtrip," said Gunn walking across the lobby. He was one of only two that was happy about the idea of going to Sunnydale.  
  
"It will be fun. And we can finally meet Buffy," said Fred, the other person happy about this.  
  
"Well, wonderful. It's settled then. You take them and Cordy and I will play house here."  
  
"Fine you guys can come, and you to Lorne," said Angel with an almost Angelus smile.  
  
"Oh no. I really don't think we need to go that far." Lorne really didn't want to go to a place that had once gone by the name of The Mouth of Hell. It just didn't seem like a great idea. Plus there was the fact he was planning to hide in a basement because when Angel found out Buffy could be Connor's mother and when Buffy found out Connor was Angel's son, all hell was going to break loose between them. Lorne didn't want to be anywhere near that nightmare.  
  
"Get in the car Lorne. Cordy are you okay here on your own?"  
  
"Oh I'll be fine, it's you guys I'm worried about. Hurricane Buffy is going to hit California with a vengeance when she finds out you have an eighteen year old son," said Cordy from behind the desk as she watched Fred, Wesley, Gunn, and Lorne filed out the door.  
  
"Don't I know it," muttered Angel.  
  
*****  
  
"That's him?"  
  
"Yes General."  
  
"And Mac?"  
  
"He followed the vampire's son."  
  
"A vampire with a child? I never would have believed it."  
  
"Indeed sure. Furthermore, it is said the boy was kidnapped by one of the vampire enemies and raised in another dimension, which is why he is older now."  
  
"Hmm. And where did you say the vampire's son went?"  
  
"He got on a bus to Boca del Infierno."  
  
"Why would the boy travel to the mouth of hell?"  
  
"The slayer lives there, sir."  
  
"Gather the men. We will follow the vampire. He is probably headed for is son, his son heads for the slayer, and where the slayer is we will find Kristine." 


	6. And We Meet Again Welcome Back to Krim ...

AN: I apologize for the long wait on the next chapter of A Second Chance Again. I've had a long series of difficulties both technical and creative. I was stumped with writer's block for a while there, then when I finally was able to write with any degree of success, I managed to write myself into a corner. It took me awhile to figure out that it was going to take completely rewriting the chapter to get the story moving again. Right about the time I figured that out my entire computer went down. It took me awhile to get the computer fixed and up and running again. Now I'm completely back online and I have this cool new Via Voice thing. It types whatever I say making my life much easier. Hopefully this will help me get chapters out a lot faster. This version of Via Voice is a lot more complicated than my former version of ViaVoice however works a lot better. With any luck it shouldn't be long before the next chapter is out. Until then thank you for your patience.  
  
AN2: The question has been raised as to who Kristine is. Kristine is the name Buffy went by in Krim. Buffy is a unique name and would have stood out too much, hence the change. It isn't anything really important to the story; it was just an idea that I had that wouldn't go away.  
  
AN3: If you would like me to e-mail you when I have updates to this story, please say so in a review.  
  
Part Six  
And We Meet Again / Welcome Back to Krim My Dears  
  
Connor jerked awake just as the bus was pulling into the station. He sat in his seat for a moment to gather his bearings before he stood to get his things out of the upper storage compartment. Conner was at a loss as to what to think about this newest dream. It was different than any of the dreams he had before, and much more enlightening.  
  
He knew, although he wasn't sure how, that the demon he saw was called Mac. He was one of the two major people, demons, whatever, that had chased his mother and him. He still wasn't sure why they were after them but he had a feeling that was something only their pursuers and his mother knew for sure.  
  
Connor stepped off the bus and looked around. The city seemed to be a lot smaller than he had thought it would be, clearly much smaller than L.A. He could make out no high-rise buildings in the distance.  
  
This was good news however; he still didn't have any idea about where to begin to look though. He supposed he could look around and ask every person he saw if they knew of a Buffy and where she lived. However he doubted that would be very effective.  
  
Maybe if he just used some of his senses to track he would be able to locate her. He knew her scent by memory and he remembered his mother was not all she seemed, certainly not a demon but definitely different. He hefted his bag over his shoulder and started to wonder around hoping to catch her scent. "Man, this is going to take a while," muttered Connor.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy was feeling depressed, and that was putting things mildly. She had tried to sleep earlier but couldn't make her mind calm, her thoughts were consumed with the past, so she had decided to patrol. However the demons of Sunnydale were not cooperating, so mostly Buffy wondered and thought.  
  
Most of the time she was able to not think about her Angel, or Angels would probably be a more accurate term. However it just didn't seem possible right now. Stranger still she had this feeling in her gut that Angel was nearby. Perhaps wishful thinking on her part, Angel was in L.A. and she was in sunnyhell. That's the way things were and she doubted they would change anytime soon.  
  
Furthermore, as of late she just couldn't stop thinking about her son. That wasn't to say he wasn't always on her mind in some form or another but now she was having dreams about the time they spent in Krim, vivid dreams. It wasn't that she ever wanted to forget her boy; it was just easier to live with what she had done if she didn't have to remember every second.  
  
Not for the first time she wished that there was someone to talk to about what had really happened that summer. Possibly even tell Angel. Buffy scoffed and dismissed that thought almost before she finished it. First he probably wouldn't even believe her and second it wasn't like it would do any good at this point. No, she blew her chance to tell him the truth when he left.  
  
When she thought about it, it was stupid really; it wasn't that she had been trying to punish him by not telling him about their child. It was just it took her so long to figure out how to tell him and work up the nerve to do it, then days before her big speech he broke up with her she didn't know how to begin to tell him under those circumstances. What if he had decided to stay? She hadn't known if she could live with that, the knowledge that he it stayed for any other reason than because he loved her. Now of course she knew she wouldn't have cared why he stayed just as long as he did.  
  
Angel had always said that she was his strength. What he never knew was she needed him more than he really needed her. It wasn't that she couldn't take care of herself or she couldn't be strong on her own, it was that she didn't want to. She was the slayer, with the exception of Faith, who wasn't really in a position to help anyone; Buffy was on her own in her fight against the darkness. She had to do so much alone; she didn't want to live what little life she had alone to. And if that made her weak or bad slayer she quite frankly didn't care.  
  
Even her friends could only understand so much. They complained that she cut herself off from everyone without realizing that that is what slayers are supposed to do, what slayers need to do if they hope to stay sane. Angel made it so much easier because she could talk to him without feeling judged. At least in that setting anyway, he would never lie to her and always told her exactly what he thought. She never had to be cut off with Angel around because she had a way to vent.  
  
Buffy kicked herself every day for not having the courage to explain that to Angel when she had the chance. Maybe then he would have understood how important he had been and still was.  
  
Buffy decided she had had enough of this pity party and was about to turn and leave when she had that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. Angel was in Sunnydale; he was close and getting closer. Like magic, before she really had time to process what she was feeling, he, Wesley, 2 people she didn't recognize and a green demon with red horns and a loud suit walked out of one of the wooded areas that lined this particular cemetery.  
  
At first Buffy thought she was hallucinating. 'It just doesn't make sense but what really does anymore,' thought Buffy. "Angel what a surprise."  
  
"Where is he, have you seen him?" asked Angel in a panic. On the way to Sunnydale he had worked himself into a panic thinking of all the things that could hurt or even kill Connor in Sunnydale. Being a father he really didn't give much consideration to the fact that his son grew up in a place far worse then Sunnydale and would more then likely cause more damage to the demon population then they could cause him. Still the hellmouth was the last place he wanted his son to be, ever, under any circumstances.  
  
Raising her eyebrows at Angel's tone Buffy replied carefully, "and he would be?" Angel's concerned and panicked demeanor was freaking her out and confusing her. She was so used to seeing Angel all together. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. Furthermore, after not seeing him for so long and then having him just appear was throwing her for a loop.  
  
Angel's worry was not lost on any of his companions. Before Angel could take out that worry on Buffy and potentially say something he would regret later, Lorne jumped in, "what he means sugar pie, is we've misplaced a teenage boy about eighteen and we think he might be here in good 'ld Sunnydale. We were wondering if you've seen him."  
  
Angel was a little taken aback by Lorne's eagerness to jump into the fray. Throughout the duration of the entire trip to Sunnydale Angel had anxiously tried to pump Lorne for information. Despite the fact that Lorne wanted to explain what was going on he knew it would be better coming from Buffy. So he had remained silent much to the annoyance of Angel.  
  
Buffy was a bit taken back as well by the green demon cutting Angel off. From the expression on Angel's face, she knew he hadn't been pleased with her answer and would more than likely have said something not nice. She looked from Angel to Lorne and back again suspiciously.  
  
"No." she drawled out. "Angel what is going on? What are you doing here?"  
  
"My son, he's gone and all we found was a picture of you on his floor."  
  
The bottom of Buffy's world plummeted from under her. She couldn't breathe or think. Angel had a son, more than likely her son. Her baby was alive and well with his father. Wait did he say gone, "Wait," cutting off Angel's tirade, which she had barely heard anyway, "what do you mean he's gone. Where would he go?"  
  
"How the hell would I know, haven't you been listening?" Angel felt all the worry and dread from his son's disappearing act surge to the surface. He really didn't like being kept in the dark about the happenings around him. "He came here after you but as far as I knew you two didn't even know of each others existence, care to explain that to me?" Angel said lashing out in his anxiety.  
  
Buffy froze at a loss as to what to say. What was she supposed to tell him? The truth? 'Yeah that will work, he'll be just thrilled with that' she thought sarcastically, 'I'm sure that'll go over real well.' However Buffy was spared when thankfully or maybe not so thankfully Spike chose that moment to make an entrance.  
  
"Why is the poufter in Sunnyhell?"  
  
"Go to hell Spike. I do not have time for you," snapped Angel clearly not interested in Spike's taunts.  
  
"Well some one has his knickers in a bunch," said Spike in a sarcastic tone.  
  
"So help me Spike?"  
  
"Hey," yelled Buffy. "Lost baby here. Why don't you two save the pissing contest until the boy is found."  
  
Angel looked at Buffy suspiciously. He was about to say something when over her shoulder he saw Connor walk out from behind a mausoleum, seemingly tracking something.  
  
"Connor."  
  
Buffy spun around to see what had caught Angel's attention but she already knew. She didn't have to see her boy to know that he was standing behind her. When she actually did see him she was in shock. He was all grown up; in the back of her mind it occurred to her that he was to old. However, she was too scared he would vanish in a seconds notice that she didn't pay much attention to such thoughts. She became dimly aware that Angel was looking between the two of them.  
  
Connor's reaction was similar to Buffy's. He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. He found her but he really hadn't given much thought to what would happen beyond that. He gradually became aware that Angel and some of the A.I. team were there.  
  
Spike chose that exact moment to butt in startling Buffy out of the surprised trance she'd fallen into. "Well I'll be damned that's."  
  
"SPIKE." Looking over everyone Buffy realized she was going to get what she wanted. She was going to have to tell them everything that happened, her real history. The phrase "be careful what you wish for" came to mind. "Okay, um well I guess you guys are here for answers. Why don't we go to my place and we'll see if I can give you some," said Buffy.  
  
She turned around ready to lead them to her house when she heard the voice that had haunted her dreams sounded through the suddenly way to cold night. "How I would love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation," said Mac.  
  
"Indeed. I wouldn't mind hearing some of those answers for myself. After all you never were really that forthcoming," sounded the arrival of yet another of Buffy's nightmares.  
  
"Valone, it's been years." Taking a large gulp of air making a show like they were all just long lost friends. Right. "Well isn't this a little reunion. And look even Kristine has come to join us or Buffy as the case may be."  
  
Angel up until that point had been quite but the arrival of a mini giant and a pack of medieval knights was just way more than he could take. "What the HELL is going on here."  
  
"Yes, Buffy why don't you fill this," Valone looked as Angel and sneered, "creature in."  
  
"I must admit I am surprised. All this time you have been under our noses and we knew nothing. We suspected you were helping our lost Kristine. Ingenious really, as damned and determined as you were to never part company with the boy we never thought to look for a woman without him. It never occurred to us you were Kristine," commented Mac in the same conversational tone.  
  
Through out the exchange Connor remained silent. Lost in his own private sea of emotions, he wasn't sure what to do. He racked his brain trying to remember if his mother had even been in this situation before, nothing was forthcoming. His mother had opted for a run today live to fight tomorrow approach. She hadn't ever been cornered like this, and for good reason. This was a highly dangerous standoff. If it came down to in no faction in this miniature war would come out unscathed, there would be casualties on all sides.  
  
The question was who would fire the first shot, a question that was soon answered for all those present.  
  
"Now that we found you there is no more running, no more hiding. Knowing the father of the boy makes it even more apparent why he must die. Don't you see if he lives it could be the ruin of us all? The carnage would never stop. Do what is right and destroy him now or let me do it."  
  
Practically growling, "You will not touch him," said Buffy taking an angry step forward.  
  
At that moment the ground began to quake as though the earth itself was agreeing with Buffy, intent on protecting the boy. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. The reason for it was unimportant at the moment. The quake was huge knocking over tombstones, birds went flying, and barking could be heard in the distance. A near by car alarm started shrieking loudly, all accompanied by the sound of rumbling earth.  
  
All at once a giant crack formed in the ground beneath them. The rumbling and shaking continued while everyone tried to find something to hang onto. Just as suddenly as it begun, the earthquake stopped. For a moment all was silent.  
  
"Is everyone all right," said Angel.  
  
"Yeah, I think..." started Buffy. Before she could finish a bolt of lightning struck the ground just between Connor and Buffy. Buffy, Angel, Spike, and the AI team were thrown backwards by the force of the blast.  
  
The ground beneath Connor, Mac, and Valone split open revealing a large swirling portal. Mac, Valone and Valone's knights were sucked instantly into the portal, while Connor managed to grab hold of the ledge.  
  
Buffy immediately shook off the shock of being thrown, got up, and raced to grab hold of Connor's hands before he could fall in as well.  
  
"Ahhhh, help."  
  
"Hold on baby I got you, just hold on," said Buffy after she grabbed hold of Connor's hands. The suction of the portal was strong and it became obvious very quickly that Buffy wasn't going be to able to hold on. By that time Angel was beside her grabbing hold of Connor's other hand.  
  
Thinking quickly Buffy said, "Go to Pristine Mountain," just as Connor's hand slipped from her own. Buffy stood up throwing a quick glance behind her and told Spike to watch the others before jumping into the portal herself. Angel quickly followed before the others could stop him.  
  
Gunn glanced at Fred, Wesley, and Lorne, sighed and said, "damn I hate these things," before he jumped in followed by the others. No sooner had they cleared the portal than it snapped shut with an audible pop.  
  
"Well bloody hell."  
  
*****  
  
Angel, Buffy, Fred, Lorne, Wesley, and Gunn landed in a field and at night.  
  
"Oh, wow did that smart. Let's not do it again okay," said a groaning Lorne.  
  
"I second that," said Fred as she got to her feet.  
  
Buffy slowly climbed to her feet and checked for injuries. Finding none she brushed herself off and started looking around. She was clearly not pleased with what she saw, "I never thought I'd be back here again," muttered Buffy.  
  
"Back where again, just what the hell is going on here," said Angel in an agitated tone.  
  
"I'll explain later at the moment we are not safe here. We need to get out of here and find some cover," said Buffy hoping that would be the end of it but knowing it wouldn't be.  
  
"No not later, now what the hell is going on here," replied Angel.  
  
"Angel we don't have any time for this," said Buffy in a beseeching tone before turning away from him.  
  
Angel grabbed hold of Buffy's arm and spun her around to face him, "no damnit, Buffy I want some answers now. Three hours ago I found out my son was missing and on his way to see you. Naturally I found this very interesting because to my knowledge you two had never met. So I follow him, and the next thing I know I'm in a standoff with people I don't know or know anything about. People who seem to know more about what's going on than I do?"  
  
"Angel, take a look around. We are standing in the open in a place where we will not be well liked. We need to get to a safe place as soon as we can."  
  
"Buffy, there is no one within miles. I need to know what's going on and where my son is."  
  
"He's fine I'm sure. He probably fell out of the portal in a different area."  
  
Before Angel could respond to that remark, Wesley said, "Buffy, do you know where we?"  
  
"It's called Krim now can we please go. It's just really not safe here," said Buffy taking a nervous glance around.  
  
"And you know this because..." said Angel in a sarcastic voice.  
  
Taking a deep breath Buffy said, "because this is a place where I really spent that summer after I sent you to hell."  
  
Angel is taken completely off guard by this statement, "Excuse me?"  
  
Sighing loudly, "I needed a place of relative safety to go."  
  
Angel eyed Buffy suspiciously for a couple of seconds, trying to decide if he really wanted to ask his next question. "Why," he asked slowly.  
  
"I needed someplace safe... because I was pregnant."  
  
A.N. This is a highly condensed version of two chapters. Buffy as Buffy had some run ins with spies and the like from both Valone and Mac. However she wasn't recognized because they were men that she never met before. With no baby they assumed that she was an accomplice not the same person. There has been some confusion about "Kristine." Buffy went by that in Krim and such because no one knew who she really was and took the name Kristine. When she returned as Buffy, obviously Kristine vanished. The gist is Valone and Mac have been chasing their own tails for years. 


	7. Because I was Pregnant

Part Seven  
Because I was Pregnant  
  
"I'm sorry you were what," said Angel in near shock.  
  
"Pregnant. You know as in with child," said Buffy, "are you happy now."  
  
"You were what," said Angel more forcefully!  
  
"Angel listen to me, this could not be farther from the right place and the right time to have this conversation. If we do not find some cover soon some very unpleasant creatures with lots of teeth and a taste for people are going to start popping out of the ground... like daisies. Please I promise I will explain everything as many times and in whatever form you like just not now."  
  
Angel looked like he was about to argue with her some more when Lorne decided it was time to step in. "Maybe you should listen to the apple tart."  
  
"Fine we can postpone this for now but as soon as we can we are going to have a very serious conversation, and no excuses," Angel said clearly seething.  
  
"I presume you know our location Buffy," asked Wesley.  
  
"Yes, this is the Narac Valley. Home of the delightful Naracs. If memory serves there should be a village about 3 mi. east of here. We should have about an hour to get out of the valley before the Naracs make an appearance."  
  
"And these Naracs are what exactly," said Gunn eyeing the surrounding landscape suspiciously.  
  
"Demons, nasty ones. They are only about a foot tall but that foot is made up of mostly teeth and claws."  
  
"Well then can I suggest we make an exit before they arrive," said Fred nervously.  
  
"Happily. There is a place just outside the village where we can spend the rest of the night. We can get supplies from the village and make our way home tomorrow," said Buffy.  
  
"I believe we have a plan, lets get a move on shall we," said Wesley.  
  
They made their way east for about an hour-and-a-half until they could make out dim lights in the distance. The trip was made in mostly tense silence. Angel couldn't get out of his mind what Buffy had said, a child, possibly his child. The more he thought about the more questions he had. Where was the baby now? How had he never known? Why didn't she say anything, and what did any of this have to do with Connor?  
  
For Buffy's part, she tried to decide what she was going to say. She couldn't believe she had just blurted it out like that. Years of not saying anything, not even hinting, and she had told the secret she had been trying to keep for years. She was terrified of how Angel would react when he heard the truth. Would he hate her forever? What she really didn't want to think about was what the future would now hold. In just a matter of seconds everything had changed.  
  
When they were just outside the village, Buffy led them towards a large mountain in the distance. When they reached the base Buffy began pulling foliage off the side. After a while of this she revealed an opening leading into a cave.  
  
The cave was about the size of a two-car garage with a sloping ceiling getting lower as you walked back. After everyone had piled in Buffy immediately set about moving a large rock slab in front of the opening. The rock was heavy and when it became apparent that Buffy couldn't move it on her own easily Angel moved beside her to help.  
  
After the rock had been moved into place Buffy and Angel shared a heated glance. It looked as though Angel was about to say something when Buffy quickly yelled, "don't touch that!"  
  
She stepped away from Angel and moved towards Fred. Fred had been investigating an unusual patch of discolored rocks near the back of the cave. "Why what is it?"  
  
Buffy picked up a small rock and threw it at the rocks. The small rock passed through the wall as though it wasn't there. "This place has lots of those, if you see it don't touch it."  
  
Wesley took his glasses off and moved closer to get a better look, "and those would be?"  
  
"Passages into a very unpleasant place called Qurtoth." This statement immediately got everyone's attention. Wesley turned around to look at Angel who for his part looked very unhappy. None of this was making any sense.  
  
Buffy noticed the exchange between everyone, "What?"  
  
"We have heard of Qurtoth before unfortunately."  
  
While her experience there had been brief it was not something she wanted to reminisce about. "Look there are still a couple hours before sunrise, let's try and get some sleep and we can go to the village tomorrow and get supplies."  
  
"Some supplies for what exactly," asked Gunn.  
  
"The only way to get back home is to make a portal."  
  
"And how do you plan on doing that. We have no idea where to even begin and there's no one here with the kind of power it would take to do something like that," eyeing Buffy suspiciously, "unless of course there something else you aren't telling me."  
  
Taking a deep breath Buffy turned to face Angel away from where she had been trying to build a fire, "I told the boy to make his way to Pristine Mountain, it is about two day journey north of here. Qurtoth makes hot spots of magical energy here. Pristine Mountain is one of the most powerful hot spots in this dimension. If we can get there we will be able to make a portal with very little trouble. Even an amateur can pull off amazing things from the mountain."  
  
"Well how do you know that," ask Fred curiously.  
  
"Lets just say that I had a spell or two I had to do in my time."  
  
Angel looked as though he was about to say something but decided against it. Sarcasm wouldn't help anyone at that point. His terrified rage had passed but Angel was now consumed by dread and confusion. And naturally he was a little hurt. It took falling through a portal for Buffy to tell him a huge thing like her having a child, possibly his child.  
  
Buffy went over to a large chest sitting next to a wall on the opposite side of the cave. She started rifling through it and pulled out two pieces of clothing that look like old-fashioned peasant dresses. She handed one to Fred and told her that she could wear it tomorrow when they went to town for supplies. She then handed Lorne a set of clothing as well.  
  
"I hope those fit they are all I have for a guy."  
  
"They will do fine buttercup, thank you."  
  
"Tomorrow when we buy supplies for the journey to the mountain will have to get you three some clothes as well," said Buffy speaking to Wesley, Gunn, and Angel.  
  
Fred, Buffy, and Lorne set their clothes for the next day aside. Buffy handed out blankets for everyone to use for the night. Gunn and Fred snuggled together on the far end, while Wesley slept by the west wall. Angel slept closest to the door with Buffy on the far end. Lorne slept near the middle.  
  
After a tiring and stressful day everyone except Buffy and Angel were asleep.  
  
Buffy's thoughts were consumed about how she was going to explain everything that happened while he had been in hell. She didn't really know where to begin. She dreaded the conversation that was to come.  
  
Angel was honestly at a loss as to what to think. That phrase had been circling through his mind ever sense it had past her lips, "because I was pregnant." There were so many questions he could ask and yet the one he was most concerned with was why hadn't she ever said anything.  
  
After some time like this Angel and Buffy fell into an uneasy sleep. Neither knew what the next day would hold.  
  
******  
  
While Buffy, Angel, and crew had landed north of Pristine Mountain, Connor had landed south of the mountain in a forested area. Connor surveyed the surrounding area and tried to determine where he was. He knew immediately that he was in the Krim dimension.  
  
He knew this area wasn't anything special and decided it was good enough to make camp for the night. He searched until he found a place next to a rocky slope, where the rocks created a sort of overhang.  
  
Connor knew that this was a place of little activity so he hadn't paid much attention to anything going on around him. His focus was on finding a place to rest for the night before he made his way towards the mountain. If he had been paying better attention he would of noticed that not far from where he landed another person had landed as well. He would have noticed that that person was none other than Holtz.  
  
Holtz took in his surroundings far more carefully than the boy had. He was very intrigued by the standoff he had witnessed in the cemetery. He was also just a little bit confused. He had decided to follow the boy not long after he had left. He had trailed him most of the way and managed to stumble upon the three-way standoff. He had gotten just close enough to hear and see what was going on without attracting any attention.  
  
The moment Steven had seen a girl Holtz knew he was a lost cause. The boy was always too much like his father and Holtz never really expected to keep him. Holtz would have gone over and killed the boy then however there were too many unanswered questions. He needed to know more about the situation, more about that girl, before he could make any decisions. There might be a way he could use that girl to his advantage.  
  
First thing he had to do though was locate the knights he had seen in the cemetery. They seem to be doing God's work more than the demon had been. And perhaps they could come to an understanding and help each other reached their mutual goals.  
  
Holtz was immediately on his way to locate the knights. Unfortunately for everyone else the knights would be easy for him to locate because they were only about half a mile away setting up camp.  
  
Mac had also landed in Krim and was busy making his own plan. He had no intentions of letting Buffy and the boy escaped this time. It was no longer about the bounty, although that was still substantial; it was more about the challenge. Mac was one of the most feared bounty hunters in the Order of Taraka and in all his years he had never found a bounty as challenging as Buffy. He would find her and the boy and he would kill them. Nothing would stop him, he would make certain of that. 


End file.
